Illuminated intra-oral delivery device

ABSTRACT

A medical syringe with a light source mounted on a distal end of the syringe to provide illumination of an injection site, a battery pack receiver configured to receive a battery pack with magnetic attraction a proximal end of the syringe, and a control circuit that is configured to illuminate the light source when the control circuit detects movement of the syringe and disconnects the battery from the light source either after a fixed period of time or after motion of the syringe ceases. Ideally the light source is a disc-shaped array of LED lights. The syringe is constructed of materials that can be sterilized.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure is directed to the provision of light at an oralinjection site and, more particularly, to an automated lighting systemadapted for use with syringes.

2. Description of the Related Art

In some health care fields, it is sometimes necessary to perform fluidinjections, irrigations, and withdrawals in locations that are dimlylit. In particular, dentists frequently perform anesthetic injectionsnear the back of a patient's mouth. Because of the small opening of themouth, it can be difficult to see an injection site inside the mouth.The space constraints of a patient's mouth also make it difficult toalign an external light source to the injection site.

One proposed solution has been to create a syringe that utilizes a lightsource at the needle end of the syringe in order to allow for betterillumination of an injection site. Some of these syringe designs includelight sources that are located remotely from the syringe, but use fiberoptics to channel the light to a distal end of the syringe. Otherproposed solutions have seen the light source built into the syringe,generally near the distal end of the syringe.

However, these syringes fail to provide a medical practitioner with apractical means for illuminating an injection site. In nearly allmedical fields sterilization and hygiene is an extremely importantaspect of all procedures, especially injection or irrigation. Inaddition, a practitioner may have several tasks to carry out in order toproperly perform the injection, and these tasks may prevent them fromoperating or focusing on additional devices. A practitioner thereforemay not have the ability or time to control electronics or otheradditional devices while using the syringe. In addition, most of theseprior designs cannot be sterilized without requiring disassembly andthen reassembly prior to the next use. Moreover, portable sources ofpower, such as batteries, require partial disassembly to replace thebatteries.

What is needed is an apparatus that can provide illumination ofinjection sites without burdening the practitioner with additional tasksor devices to operate, that provides automation in its use, can beeasily sterilized, and enables quick removal and replacement of thebattery.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, an illuminatedsyringe for use in medical and dental fields is presented. Theilluminated syringe utilizes a light source coupled to a battery througha control circuit to illuminate an injection site when the controlcircuit senses motion, such as when the syringe is picked up.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, anapparatus is provided that includes a syringe having a barrel with aproximal end and a distal end, a plunger mounted in the barrel andlongitudinally slidable through the proximal end of the barrel, a lightsource mounted on the distal end of the barrel, a battery pack receiveron the proximal end of the barrel and configured to be electricallycoupled to the light source, and a control circuit electrically coupledto the battery pack receiver and the light source and configured todetect motion of the syringe and to electrically couple the battery packreceiver and the light source in response to detecting motion of thesyringe.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, the syringeincludes a battery pack configured to be removably mounted to thebattery pack receiver by magnetic attraction between the battery packand the battery pack receiver.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a firstmagnet is provided in the battery pack receiver and a second magnet isprovided in the battery pack configured to be magnetically attracted tothe first magnet in the battery pack receiver and thereby hold thebattery pack to the battery pack receiver.

In accordance with further aspect of the present disclosure, the batterypack is configured to cooperate with the battery pack receiver to form ahandle at the proximal end of the barrel.

In accordance with still yet another aspect of the present disclosure,the light source comprises a ring array of LEDs. Ideally, the controlcircuit is configured to electrically couple the battery pack receiverto the light source for a period of time in response to detecting motionand then electrically uncouple the battery pack receiver from the lightsource in response to the period of time ending.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a manualon-off switch is provided that is configured to override the controlcircuit and electrically couple and uncouple the battery pack from thelight source in response to manual actuation of the on-off switch.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the present disclosure, thecontrol circuit is configured to cause the light source to blink when acharge in the battery pack reaches a level of discharge.

According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, a kit ispresented that includes a syringe having a light source mounted at adistal end of the syringe, the syringe having an electrical circuitconfigured to detect motion of the syringe and to illuminate the lightsource in response to the syringe moving; a battery pack configured tobe mountable on a syringe chassis; a battery charger configured toaccept the battery and electrically couple to the battery; and acontainer for housing the syringe during a sterilization process. In afurther aspect, the light source is removably attached to the syringe.In yet another aspect, the electrical circuit is configured to decouplethe battery pack from the light source in response to the syringeceasing to move, preferably with a delay of appropriate length.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other features and advantages of the presentdisclosure will be more readily appreciated as the same become betterunderstood from the following detailed description when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial illustration of an illuminated syringe formed inaccordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control circuit of an illuminated syringeaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a battery pack and battery pack charger for use with theilluminated syringe of FIG. 1 according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is an illuminated syringe with a battery pack removed accordingto the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is another view of the illuminated syringe with the battery packremoved of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a plurality of battery packs and battery pack chargeraccording to the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a top view of a custom cassette or tray for holding thesyringe of FIG. 1 in an autoclave;

FIG. 8 is an illuminated syringe with a battery pack adjacent a shaftbody formed in accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a plurality of alternative designs of an illuminated syringeand battery pack;

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of an alternative design for an illuminatedsyringe utilizing light pipes in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIGS. 11A-11E illustrate another alternative design for an illuminatedsyringe formed in accordance with the present disclosure; and

FIGS. 12 is a cross-sectional illustration of an alternative lightedremovable syringe tip design formed in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, certain specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of various disclosedembodiments. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognizethat embodiments may be practiced without one or more of these specificdetails, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In otherinstances, well-known structures or components or both associated withsyringes, including but not limited to plungers, needles, and carpulesand the like have not been shown or described in order to avoidunnecessarily obscuring descriptions of the embodiments.

Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification andclaims that follow, the word “comprise” and variations thereof, such as“comprises” and “comprising” are to be construed in an open inclusivesense, that is, as “including, but not limited to.” The foregoingapplies equally to the words “including” and “having.”

Reference throughout this description to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiment is includedin at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearance of the phrases “in oneembodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout thespecification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics maybe combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

FIG. 1 shows an illuminated syringe 20 formed in accordance with oneaspect of the present disclosure. The illuminated syringe 20 generallyincludes a shaft body or barrel 22 having a proximal end and a distalend. A plunger 24 is slidably mounted in a proximal end of the shaftbody 22. A thumb ring 26 on the proximal end of the plunger 24 enablescontrol of plunger 26 movement in the barrel or shaft body 22. At theproximal end of the shaft body 22 is a battery pack 28 removably coupledto a battery pack receiver 29. A light source 30 is electrically coupledto the battery pack receiver 29 and is mounted on a distal end of theshaft body 22 as described more fully below. A control circuit in theform of a controller 40 is associated with the light source 30 (shown inFIG. 2 schematically).

A hilt 34 is provided on the proximal end of the shaft body 22, and itis distal to the battery pack 28. In accordance with one aspect of thepresent disclosure, the battery pack receiver 29 forms a portion of orall of the hilt 34.

Syringes and their uses are common in medical fields and will not bedescribed in detail here. Briefly, a carpule is inserted into thesyringe 20, which is then punctured and delivered by a user depressingthe plunger 24 using the thumb ring 26. A medication, generally a localanesthetic, is then injected into an injection site on the patient via aneedle attached to the distal end of the syringe 20.

The illuminated syringe 20 uses the light source 30 to illuminate aninjection site to facilitate injections in dark or hard to see spaces.Correct placement of the needle tip at the injection site can becritical in administering a local anesthetic to patients. Particularlyin the dental field, it can be difficult to see an injection site in apatient's mouth because of the limited opening of the mouth and shadowscreated by the practitioner's head and hand and the syringe as well asthe patient's oral structures, such as the cheeks and tongue. The lightsource 30 is placed at the distal end of the illuminated syringe 20,thus illuminating the injection site without objects between the lightsource 30 and the injection site.

The light source 30 is preferably integrated into the illuminatedsyringe 20. In one embodiment, the light source 30 comprises a pluralityof LED lights arranged in a ring array and housed in an acrylic oracrylic-and-metal disc-shaped housing that is permanently orsemi-permanently mounted on the distal end of the shaft body 22 with theLEDs facing along a longitudinal axis of the shaft body 22. One exampleof an LED that may be used in the LED array is the Citizen ElectronicsCLL600. In alternate embodiments, the light source could be made of anylights that are suitable for use with the illuminated syringe 20. Thelight source 30 is preferably housed in acrylic or an acrylic-and-metalhousing in order to withstand the high heat used in the sterilizationprocess. Alternatively, the light source 30 may be removably attached toallow a user to retrofit a standard syringe with the light source 30. Inthis design, the light source 30 could be housed in a heat-resistantmaterial such as acrylic, or it may be housed in a non-heat resistantmaterial if sterilization of the removable light source is notnecessary.

The light source 30 is preferably located such that the light isdirected primarily toward the injection site and circumferentiallyaround the site while avoiding the emission of light back towards auser's eyes and interfering with the user's vision. For example, thelight source will illuminate the injection site when the needle isoriented straight forward or at an angle of about 80 degrees or 70degrees or even less than 70 degrees in some situations. The lightsource 30 may be configured to reflect or emit some amount of light intothe shaft body 22 to illuminate the carpule, thus enabling the user tosee the amount of medication in the carpule. Regardless of the design,it is important that light is prevented from shining back into thepractitioner's eyes during the injection procedure.

In an alternative design, the light source 30 may be located along theshaft body 22. This may be implemented in addition to a light source 30at the distal end of the syringe 20 or instead of the light source atthe distal end. A light source 30 along the shaft body 22 would bedirected toward the distal end of the illuminated syringe 20.

The illuminated syringe 20 also has a removable and rechargeable batterypack 28 that powers the light source 30. The battery within the batterypack 28 preferably has a voltage and amperage that are high enough topower all of the LEDs in the light source 30, while still being smallenough to not obstruct use of the illuminated syringe 20. One example ofa battery that may be used in the battery pack 28 is the CoinPowerVarta. The battery pack 28 is preferably configured to be removable fromthe illuminated syringe 20 and rechargeable. As such, a user may havemultiple battery packs 30 available for use, and therefore may chargeone battery pack 28 while another battery pack 28 is being used.

Removable battery packs 28 are also desired because the battery locatedinside the battery pack 28 may fail when introduced to the hightemperatures of the sterilization process, and therefore it isadvantageous to remove the battery pack 28 before sterilizing theilluminated syringe 20. In a preferred embodiment, the battery pack 28is located on the proximal end of the shaft body 22. As shown in FIG. 1,this location allows the battery pack 28 to combine with the hilt 34 forthe syringe to provide a resting place for the user's fingers whiledepressing the plunger 24. This also incorporates the proper weight andbalance for the syringe 20 in the user's hand. Proper weighting so thatthe balance point of the syringe 20 is centrally located with respect tothe user's hand provides for easier manipulation and more accurateplacement of the needle in the patient's mouth.

The illuminated syringe 20 also includes a control circuit 22 thatcouples the battery pack 28 to the light source 30. The control circuit22 detects motion of the illuminated syringe, such as when in it ispicked up, and activates the light source 30 upon sensing this motion.In one embodiment, the control circuit 22 maintains illumination of thelight source 30 for a fixed amount of time after sensing motion beforeshutting off the light source 30. Motion sensing allows the injectionsite to be illuminated before the practitioner begins the injectionprocess. It also eliminates the need to slide or flip a switch, allowingthe practitioner to safely perform the injection procedure withoutdistraction. Automatically shutting off the light source after a fixedamount of time allows the practitioner to safely perform other tasks andensures that the battery charge is preserved. In an alternativeembodiment, the control circuit 22 may activate the light source 30 onlywhile it senses motion, and shut the light source off when the motionstops, or for a fixed amount of time after motion starts or after motionstops.

The amount of time the light remains illuminated after motion starts orafter motion stops can vary depending on the procedure. In some cases,the light source 30 will remain illuminated for a fixed period of timeranging from about 1 second to 120 seconds, or from about 5 seconds toand including about 90 seconds. Alternatively, the range could be fromabout 15 seconds to and including about 75 second or in the range fromabout 30 seconds to and including about 60 seconds. The control circuit22 may be configured to enable a user to manually select theillumination time for the light source 30, either from the start ofmotion or from the cessation of motion. The control circuit 22 may alsoinclude, in addition to the motion activation circuit, a manual on/offcircuit or switch that can be used to keep the light on or offregardless of the motion of the syringe or amount of time that thesyringe is used. This manual switching may be controlled with thefingers or by voice command or other means that enables the practitionerto maintain control of the syringe and without having to use theirfingers or hand to activate and deactivate the switch.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the control circuit 22 of theilluminated syringe 20. The control circuit has a controller 40, amotion sensor 42, and a battery connector 44, and is coupled to thelight source 30. The controller 40 is any processor capable of input,output, and logical processes, such as a microprocessor, multiplexer orlogic gate. The battery connector 44 is a metallic connection that islocated on the shaft body 22 where the battery pack 28 makes contactwith the shaft body 22. The battery pack 28 has a matching metallicconnection that makes electrical contact with the battery connector 44when the battery pack is placed onto the shaft body 22.

The motion sensor 42 is preferably an accelerometer, but may be anysensor capable of detecting motion. The motion sensor is coupled to thecontroller 40, where a signal produced by the motion sensor 42 isprocessed. The controller 40 couples the battery pack 28 to the lightsource when the motion sensor 42 detects motion. In a preferredembodiment, the controller 40 begins a timer when the motion sensor 42senses motion, and the battery and light source 30 remain coupled forthe duration of the timer. In this embodiment, the light source willshut off automatically when the timer expires. In other embodiments, thecontroller 40 may not initiate the timer until it stops detecting motionor may not utilize a timer, and instead will couple the light source 30based solely on the motion sensor 42 output.

The control circuit 22 may also contain a manually controlled on/offswitch (not shown) as described above that is configured to override themotion sensor circuit and enable manual control of the light source 30.The on/off switch may comprise a rheostat to facilitate adjustment inthe light intensity from the light source 30. The rheostat can be in theform of a slider switch, a rotary dial, or a thumb roller to facilitateone-handed operation.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, the controller 40 willcouple the light source 30 and battery pack 28 when the battery pack hasa low charge to illuminate the light source 30 as an alert that thebattery is low. Preferably, the controller 40 will couple and decouplethe battery pack 28 and light source 30 in succession in order to causethe light source 30 to blink to let the user know that the battery pack28 needs to be recharged.

FIG. 3 shows the battery pack 28 and an associated battery pack charger50. The battery pack charger 50 is sized to receive the battery pack 28securely. The charger 50 generally uses a standard wall outlet plug topower the charger, but may use other power connections such as USB. Thecharger has connectors that are sized and positioned to electricallyconnect with the connectors on the battery pack 28 to provide power tothe battery pack 28. The battery pack 28 is removed from the illuminatedsyringe 20 so that it may be placed into the battery pack charger 50while the illuminated syringe 20 is still being used. The charger 50 maycontain one or more lights 52, preferably LEDs, to visually indicatewhen the battery pack 28 is charging and when the battery pack 28 isfully charged.

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, the lightsource can be either a white light or another color of light or acombination of white and other color lights to achieve differentlighting effects and to accommodate different conditions at theinjection site. In addition to the foregoing, a light may also be usedthat aids in detecting cancer or that aids in curing composites. Thusvarious combinations of lights may be incorporated into the syringe inaccordance with the present disclosure.

FIGS. 4-5 show the illuminated syringe 20 with the associated batterypack 28 removed. The battery pack 28 is formed with an indentation thatis sized to fit around the hilt of the syringe. The syringe 20 has thehilt 34 formed onto the syringe to allow the syringe to be used evenwhen the battery pack 28 is not attached. The battery pack 28 ispreferably held to the illuminated syringe 20 with a series of magnets46 or another attractive force. Holding the battery pack 28 magneticallyto the battery pack receiver with either one set of magnets and amagnetically attracted piece of metal, or mutually attracted pair ofmagnets, one in the battery pack 29 and the other in the battery packreceiver 29, allows a user to handle the syringe and depress the plunger24 without causing the battery pack to unintentionally become dislodged.In a preferred embodiment, the battery pack is held on with a force ofat least 0.40 lbs., but may be held on with more or less force in otherembodiments.

The controller 40 is preferably formed inside a structure associatedwith the battery pack receiver 29 or the hilt 34. However, it may beformed as a component of the battery pack itself.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present disclosure,mechanical means may be used to retain the battery pack on the syringe,such as clips, detents, latches, straps, and other known mechanicalmeans. The mechanical means may be instead of or in combination with themagnetic holding.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of a multi-battery pack charger 60 with aplurality of battery packs 28. The multi-battery pack charger 60 isconfigured to charge several battery packs 28 at the same time to allowa user to have a plurality of back-up battery packs or battery packs formultiple syringes. The multi-battery pack charger 60 preferably has aplurality of lights 62 that indicate the state of charge, such as whenthe battery packs 28 are charging and when they are fully charged. Themulti-battery pack charger 60 allows a user to charge several batterypacks 28 at the same time without requiring several battery packchargers 50, which would take up a large amount of space and severalelectrical outlets.

FIG. 7 shows a container or tray in the form of a cassette 70 thathouses the illuminated syringe 20 during a sterilization process.Sterilization is an essential part of medical procedures, and theilluminated syringe 20 will require sterilization at various timesbefore and after use. The cassette 70 is preferably designed for usewith an autoclave process, but may also be used for other sterilizationprocesses, such as chemical sterilization. The cassette 70 is configuredto house at least one illuminated syringe 20, but preferably holds twoilluminated syringes 20. The cassette 70 has a base 76 and a lid 78. Thelid 78 is hinged so that it may be opened for a user to access thesyringes located on the base 76. The base 76 has clips 72 to hold theilluminated syringes in place during the sterilization process. Thecassette 70 also has a number of slots 74 along the walls of the base 76and lid 78 of the container to allow for the heated steam of anautoclave to penetrate the cassette 70 to fully sterilize theilluminated syringes 20.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, thecassette 70 is designed to prevent the syringe from being inserted intothe slot 74 with the battery pack mounted on the syringe. The slot 74 isdesigned to prevent the battery pack from being inserted therein whileallowing the syringe body to slide into the slot. This design forces thebattery pack to disengage from the syringe body when the syringe bodyslides into the slot. The disengaged battery pack will prevent the coverof the cassette 70 from closing until the disengaged battery pack isremoved from the interior of the cassette 70.

FIG. 8 shows an alternative embodiment of an illuminated syringe 80. Inthis embodiment, the battery pack 82 is located adjacent the shaft ofthe illuminated syringe 80. This design can be used with a permanentlight source 30 or a removable light source 30. In a permanent lightsource configuration, the battery pack 82, light source 30, and controlcircuit 22 will operate in the same fashion as described above, withonly the location of the battery pack being changed. In an embodimentwhere the light source 30 is removable, the battery pack 82, controlcircuit 22, and light source 30 will preferably be housed as one packagethat may be fitted over the shaft body 22 of a standard syringe. Housingall the battery pack, circuitry and light source in one package allowsfor easy attachment and removal of the light source 30 to the syringewithout requiring circuitry located in the syringe. The combined unit ofthe removable light source 30, battery pack 28, and control circuit 22is generally configured to slide over the shaft of a standard syringe,but may be attached in any suitable manner.

FIG. 9 shows several different design variations of the illuminatedsyringe wherein the battery pack is located in different positions. Inthese embodiments, the battery pack may be located in a variety ofconfigurations near the hilt of the syringe or along the body shaft ofthe syringe.

Referring next to FIG. 10, shown therein is an alternative design of asyringe 100 having a barrel 102 with a proximal end 104 and distal end106. A plunger (not shown) is mounted in the barrel 102 through thedistal end 106 for slidable movement along a longitudinal axis of thebarrel 102. A thumb ring 108 is provided at the proximal end of theplunger to enable one-handed actuation of the plunger. At the proximalend 104 of the barrel 102 is a hilt 110 having a battery pack receiver112 formed thereon that is configured to receive a battery pack 114. Thebattery pack 114 includes a battery 116 and a circuit board 118.

In this version, a light source 120 is provided in the form of ahigh-powered LED light 122 mounted in the hilt 110. Mounted adjacent tothe LED light 122 on the distal side is an optional lens 124 configuredto collect and focus light from the LED light 122.

Formed on or in the barrel 102 is a single or multiple fiber optic lightpipe 126 configured to convey light from the LED light 122 down thebarrel 102 to the distal end 106 thereof. At the distal end 106 is asecond optional lens 128 configured to collect and refocus the light. Anoptional diffuser or third lens 130 may be positioned distal to thesecond lens 128 for diffusing the light exiting the light pip 126. Thelight pipe 126 and lens 128 along with the diffuser 130 are configuredto direct the line axially along the longitudinal axis of the barrel 102and along the needle 132 projecting from the distal end 106 of thebarrel 102. One or more of the features described in conjunction withthe foregoing designs may be combined with this version.

Proper consideration has been given to weight distribution and balanceabout a center of gravity of the syringes described herein. As describedabove, the syringes include a built-in hilt that facilitates use whenthe battery pack is removed from the battery pack receiver. Hence, thedesigns presented herein facilitate several modes of operation.

Consideration has also been given to aesthetic appeal of the syringes.For this reason a number of ornamental features and cosmetics have beenincluded in the various designs without explanation. These includewithout limitation, symmetry, balance, various radii of curvature ofsome features, size and position of various features relative to oneanother, and visually appealing presentation in the kit form. Suchfeatures are not critical or necessary to the function of the syringesand may be the subject of separate design patent protection.

For example, FIGS. 11A-11E illustrate another embodiment of a syringe200 formed in accordance with the present disclosure. Reference numbersfrom FIG. 10 are adopted here for the same elements. As can be seenhere, the aesthetic appeal of this syringe 200 is much greater due tothe design changes. These changes include without limitation the batterypack 202, which has a more symmetrical shape when viewed on end, as seenin FIGS. 11B, 11D, and 11E.

FIG. 12 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a removable syringe tipdesign in accordance with the present disclosure. As shown therein, thesyringe tip 300 includes a cylindrical body 302 having a cone-shapedlight pipe 304 extending from a distal end of the body 302. The lightpipe 304 includes a lens 306 at the projecting end 308 to concentratelight 310 exiting the tip 300.

The tip body 302 has a longitudinal axial bore 312, at least a portionof which has internal threads 314 to enable the tip 300 to be threadablyengaged with an existing male syringe threads 316 (usually used to twiston a needle hub) to lock the tip 300 into place on the LED end of thesyringe 318. The body 302 also has a sleeve portion 320 extending pastthe terminal end of the body 302 that is configured to slip over the LEDlight 322 on the end of the syringe 318. Ideally the Tip 300 is made ofopaque acrylic such that light from the LED 322 does not escape past orthrough the sleeve portion 320 and is directed through the light pipe304 to the lens 306

As mentioned above, the present disclosure includes a kit having asyringe with a light source mounted at a distal end of the syringe, thesyringe having an electrical circuit configured to detect motion of thesyringe and to illuminate the light source in response to the syringemoving, a battery pack configured to be mountable on a syringe chassis,or alternatively on a plunger of the syringe, a battery chargerconfigured to receive the battery and electrically couple to the batteryand charge the battery, and a container for housing the syringe during asterilization process.

The various embodiments described above can be combined to providefurther embodiments. Aspects of the embodiments can be modified, ifnecessary to employ concepts of the various patents, applications andpublications to provide yet further embodiments.

These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of theabove-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, theterms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specificembodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should beconstrued to include all possible embodiments along with the full scopeof equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, theclaims are not limited by the disclosure.

1. An apparatus, comprising: a syringe having a barrel with a proximalend and a distal end; a plunger mounted in the barrel and longitudinallyslidable through the proximal end of the barrel; a light source mountedon the distal end of the barrel; a battery pack receiver on the proximalend of the barrel and configured to be electrically coupled to the lightsource; a control circuit electrically coupled to the battery packreceiver and the light source and configured to electrically couple thebattery pack receiver and the light for a period of time of selectableduration.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the control circuitincludes a timer to control illumination of the light source for theselectable period of time.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein thecontrol circuit includes a motion detector to detect motion of thesyringe and to illuminate the light source in response to detectingmotion of the syringe.
 4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the batterypack is configured to cooperate with the battery pack receiver to form ahandle at the proximal end of the barrel.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1wherein the barrel has a longitudinal axis and the light sourcecomprises a ring array of LEDs arranged on the barrel to illuminate aninjection site when the barrel longitudinal axis is oriented straightforward at an angle to the injection site in the range of 70 degrees to90 degrees to prevent reflection of light back to a user's eyes.
 6. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein the control circuit is configured toelectrically couple the battery pack receiver to the light source for aperiod of time that is selectable in duration and electrical coupling isactivated in response to manual activation of a timer.
 7. The apparatusof claim 6, comprising a manual on-off switch configured to override thecontrol circuit and electrically couple and uncouple the battery packfrom the light source.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controlcircuit is configured to respond to voice commands to electricallycouple and uncouple the battery pack from the light source.
 9. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein the light source is configured to reflector emit light into the barrel to illuminate a carpule associated withthe barrel and facilitate visual inspection of an amount of medicationin the carpule.
 10. A kit, comprising: a syringe having a barrel with aproximal end and a distal end; a plunger mounted in the barrel andlongitudinally slidable through the proximal end of the barrel; a lightsource mounted on the distal end of the barrel; a battery pack receiveron the proximal end of the barrel and configured to be electricallycoupled to the light source; a control circuit electrically coupled tothe battery pack receiver and the light source and configured toelectrically couple the battery pack receiver and the light for a fixedperiod of time that is selectable in duration.
 11. The kit of claim 10wherein the light source is removably attached to the syringe.
 12. Thekit of claim 10 wherein the barrel has a longitudinal axis and the lightsource comprises a ring array of LEDs arranged on the barrel toilluminate an injection site when the barrel longitudinal axis isoriented straight forward at an angle to the injection site in the rangeof 70 degrees to 90 degrees to prevent reflection of light back to auser's eyes.
 13. A syringe, comprising: a barrel with a proximal end anda distal end; a light source at the distal end of the barrel, the lightsource comprising a disc-shaped array of lights; a battery pack receiverremovably coupled to the light source and configured to form all or aportion of a hilt of the syringe; and a control circuit electricallycoupled to the battery pack receiver and the light source and configuredto electrically couple the battery pack receiver to the light source fora selectable duration of time.
 14. The syringe of claim 13 wherein thebarrel has a longitudinal axis and the light source comprises a ringarray of LEDs arranged on the barrel to illuminate an injection sitewhen the barrel longitudinal axis is oriented straight forward at anangle to the injection site in the range of 70 degrees to 90 degrees toprevent reflection of light back to a user's eyes.
 15. The syringe ofclaim 13 wherein the control circuit is configured to detect motion ofthe syringe and to electrically couple the battery pack receiver to thelight source for a period of time in response to detecting motion of thesyringe and then electrically uncouple the battery pack receiver fromthe light source in response to expiration of the period of time. 16.The syringe of claim 15 comprising a manually operable on-off switch inthe control circuit configured to override the motion detection andenable manual control of operation of the light source.
 17. A syringe,comprising: a barrel with a proximal end and a distal end; a pluralityof optical fibers configured to provide light at the distal end of thebarrel; a light source optically coupled to the plurality of opticalfibers; a battery pack receiver electrically coupled to the lightsource; a control circuit electrically coupled to the battery packreceiver and the light source and configured to electrically coupled tothe battery pack receiver and the light source and configured toelectrically couple the battery pack receiver to the light source for aselectable duration of time.
 18. The syringe of claim 17 comprising abattery pack configured to be received within the battery pack receiverand held in place by magnetic attraction, the battery pack and thebattery pack receiver configured to form all or a portion of a hilt ofthe syringe.
 19. The syringe of claim 17 wherein the control circuitincludes a motion detector configured to detect motion of the syringeand to electrically couple the battery pack receiver to the light sourcefor a period of time in response to detecting motion of the syringe andthen electrically uncouple the battery pack receiver from the lightsource in response to expiration of the period of time.
 20. The syringeof claim 19 comprising a manually operable on-off switch in the controlcircuit configured to override the motion detection and enable manualcontrol of operation of the light source.